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Guromaaz
'Guromaaz '(GUR-oh-MOZ) General Information Government: Republic Faiths: Balikar, Harfol, Regdin Capitol: Raddinoc Population Density: Moderate Races: Orcs, Half-Orcs, Goblins, Hobgoblins, Bugbears, Orogs Exports: Raw Iron Ore, Weapons, Jewelry and Gems Imports: Horses, Oxen, Textiles History The place where the Windras and Ruddy Mountains meet is where the orcs of Guromaaz currently reside. The beginning of the orcish people is actually rather unusual compared to where they eventually wound up. In their early days, the orcs were a barbaric and warlike people who roamed the mountains that were their homelands and throughout much of what is now known as the Smeltgar Wastes and modern day Druglug. Their first deity was actually the now less than popular Regdin who, in a fit of boredom, decided to create the first orcs as a lark. Regardless, in the early days of their existence, the orcs were little more than roving bands of hostile and barbarian tribes who simply lived for the moment. It was in these early years of the orcs that they encountered the goblins of what is now Druglug. The goblin peoples, wracked and weakened by their own problems, soon found that they had a new problem from the roving raiding bands and tribes of orcs. These days of simplicity, however, would not last for either culture. The giants of Gronth came from the far north with the notion of conquest. It was in these ancient days that the giants seized much of the north including the original homelands of the orcs. The giants proved to be harsh taskmasters to their ‘lesser’ subjects and the years under their rule did much to change the mind set of the orcs. The domination of the giants was not to last, however. With the dawn of the trolls whom were greatly abused as soldiers by their giant masters, the orcs and goblins saw their chance to rebel against their masters and gain their freedom. It was an important time for the orcs as they realized that they could no longer live as they once had if they were to survive as a people. During the long and drawn out war, two new deities arose from the orcs who would change the shape of orcish culture from then on. Balikar and Harfol, the now dominant deities of the culture, had their origins as normal orcs whom eventually ascended to godhood. The post-war years were rough and rocky for the orcs who, after years of slavery under a more advanced race and through the elevation of Balikar and Harfol, learned that the way they had been doing things before simply would no longer work if they wished to continue their freedom. The older worshipers of Regdin, however, would prove to be a constant plague to the race’s future and consolidation. Early on, this coalesced into bitter infighting on the part of the various faith’s followers. When Balikar and Harfol attempted to console with Regdin that he needed to rein his followers in, however, he just laughed finding amusement in the whole affair. So it was that the eventual taming of Guromaaz came about much later than it should have and those who were once allies not so long ago would prove that ancient rivalry was stronger than recent partnership. Druglug reached its ‘understanding’, inevitably, before Guromaaz was even a real entity. The new khans of the goblins saw their orcish neighbors as easy pickings that would help them build themselves up to their own potential and so invaded in the hopes of conquest and cheap labor. In the face of fighting one another and the united goblin races, the orcs entered a dark time that for a while seemed likely to end with their domination yet once again. It was this fear, coupled with the slowing of the goblin’s advance due to their own changes in lifestyle that eventually led both sides of the religious camps to come to the understanding that they were faced with a simple truth - unite and change or become the slaves of yet another foreign empire. Faced with this simple choice, Regdin’s followers reined themselves in preferring to come to terms rather than face the complete end of their freedoms. It still would not happen immediately, but eventually the idea of consolidated rule spread and through contests of skill and strength a ruler was chosen and the monarchy of Guromaaz was officially born. The winner wound up being a devotee of Balikar, but realized he would need the followers of Regdin on his side if he was to have a chance of securing his people’s future and allowed them their concessions if they would but fight to preserve their race. As most followers of Regdin would rather die than fall to complete subjugation, the terms were agreed upon. The new Emperor of the orcs knew that if he was to keep his head and his tenuous position that it meant he had to wage war with the seemingly unbeatable goblin horde. It was fortuitous on his part that the goblins had grown to squabbling over their gains and were swamped in their own proceedings and governmental pursuits sorting it all out. The orcs mounted their counter attack and handed the goblins one humiliating defeat after another. It was during this time that the winds of change amongst the orcish peoples truly began to take the direction that would lead to their future. Balikar’s standing soared during the reclamation period as it was his followers who continually held the title of Emperor and were winning battle after battle. They eventually regained all lands they had agreed upon during the post-rebellion years, completely destroying the now dead Lau-Khan. It was at this point that the goblins realized the threat to themselves and finally stopped the advance breaking the war down into an unmoving stalemate. The Emperor at the time, realizing that he needed to end the war before all the gains made culturally during the war years became threatened, demanded the Ur-Khan meet to discuss terms. To the surprise of the Emperors detractors, the meeting was agreed upon and terms for a cessation of hostilities successfully reached that favored the orcs. The situation seemed near to hand with new empires and countries coming to the north that the followers of Balikar would finally reach their greatest aspiration of making Guromaaz into the empire of their dreams. Though this would not successfully happen for some time yet. Years passed and finally one of the Emperors, after gathering a majority of the aristocracy to his side in the issue, decided to finally make the move to make Guromaaz into the Republic it is today. Debates raged and duels were fought, but it seemed as if the reality had actually happened and the republic was born. Realizing that the new republic needed friends and fast if it was to prevent a brutal civil war, they made alliances with the nearby growing elvish colony of Portiri and dwarvish colony of Halfgan. What the new government didn’t realize, however, was just how many detractors and how much unrest it had. Soon after these agreements were made, a full third of the new countries aristocracy - many devotees of Regdin - decided that the new way of things simply could not be tolerated and staged a surprisingly effective coup. Although the rebels failed to capture the ruling government, they had succeeded in dividing its armies and driving a wedge between the colonies of Halfgan and Portiri. In the end of the affair, the republic marshaled its forces and raced south while the elves of Portiri shifted their forces west in an attempt to save the new dwarven colony from being wiped out. In the end, the rebellion was put down, but came at the cost of the dwarves of Halfgan who lost their capitol and colony to the rebels - a price the republic to this day still venerates as a country wide holiday of mourning for their sacrifice that the orcish people could come to be the people it is today. The new republic eased some of the restraints on remaining laws targeting Regdin’s followers to ease the unrest and it seems the slaughter of a basically innocent bystander has taught some of these that the old ways need not necessarily die, but should certainly be governed with more temperance than of old. Today, Guromaaz reigns as a power to be reckoned with in the north and has continued its cordial relations with the now nation of Portiri creating a dual alliance that has now lasted decades. Society The culture of the orcs of Guromaaz has evolved considerably over the centuries and through no little amount of blood, regrets, and sacrifice. Today, the Republic of Guromaaz stands as one of the most advanced countries in the northwest with a history richer than most would guess at first glance. The orcs take great pride these days in what they call their ‘republic’; considering it a great blend of traditional orcish values while maintaining the tapestry of an evolved society that hasn’t forgotten who they are and where they come from. The orcs learned the long and hard way that the faith should have little to nothing to do with the running of their country. From the boisterous and live for the moment followers of Regdin, the wanderlustful and inspired followers of Harfol, up to the pragmatic and savvy followers of Balikar, the nation boasts a widely diverse religious base that if allowed to have free rein would likely tear the nation apart. By this ideal, religion is a freely practiced thing in orcish society. People are allowed to believe in whatever drives or inspires them; orcish or otherwise, so long as they keep it out of affairs of state and remember the whole is more important than the one. Something current laws and governing in Guromaaz makes certain happens. Religious unrest, however, has been at a rather dull roar for some time now with most realizing with a fervent level of paranoia what the alternative could be. Worship and live as you wish so long as you do not interfere in the well being of the whole. In this instance it is common for followers of Regdin to be found massed together in whole fiefdoms or districts so that they may be allowed as much of their religious freedom as possible. The maps orcs draw of Guromaaz has it divided up into ‘districts’ and within each ‘district’ are ‘fiefdoms’. The capitol itself is run by an elected body of representatives from each district - each district sending a representative that is representing the civil aspect of their needs and one that is representing the martial needs of the district. Amongst these representatives is chosen a single figure that presides over the republic’s proceedings. This figure is a member of the council, chosen by the council to keep things in perspective. The specific factions are not, strictly, divided to a governing house as many such governments are; the orcs believing this would encourage potential rivalry between two people who are supposed to be speaking as one for the needs of their district. Rather, these representatives stand together with their votes counting as one vote rather than two. Any time a shared perspective can’t be reached, the district’s vote is considered as undecided. Each time a council is elected, a new chairman is voted to this seat. It is traditional honorific that terms this person as ‘Emperor’ rather than any level of supreme power as while they govern proceedings are actually rather limited as a national spokesman in national/international affairs and arbiter in the actual proceedings in the republic; though he must still consult with his shared representative when casting votes on issues. Ties in Guromaaz politics simply do not happen often due to the fact that there is intentionally an odd number of districts. When they do happen, the basic common law is that the district should handle the situation as they see necessary with the government only stepping in officially at this point if the fiefdoms of the district raise petitions concerning changes. Elections occur every three years. Civic representatives are elected by open, popular vote and anyone who is a citizen is allowed to cast a vote. Martial representatives are selected by a careful series of tournaments that include war games and single combat challenges to first blood as terms of victor at the most severe; these are confined to those citizens involved in the militia or army with rank being negligible to skill. These are all held at the fiefdom level for each fiefdom in a district with each of these then competing in same fashion to earn the honor of being that districts representative. Those who do not win the district role are still able to keep the control of their won positions in their fiefdoms respectively. In this way, the orcs maintain their martial cultural heritage while embracing the idea of free choice. At anytime the fiefdoms feel they are being miss-represented by the their electees, they have the right to petition the other republic chairs to remove them from office and allow a new election to fill the place. In this way, the politicians are more likely to be proper representatives rather than be forced to return home to the scorn of their peers in disgrace as the trend is for the republic to side with the fiefdoms as the representatives must ‘prove’ that their intentions are pure which can be difficult unless it is irrefutably true. The orcish people are proud and consider themselves proudly as a free people. The keeping of slaves is prohibited and indentured servitude of any kind must be logged on contract with the local officials who have offices specifically assigned to ensure abuse of the indentured party is quickly rectified. These punishments are usually quite harsh and have led to exile or execution more than once. In fiefdoms where Regdin’s faith is prominent, the guilty party is likely to be strung up in the square and used for a practice dummy by the locals and garrison with the wronged party granted first blow. Likewise, freedom of races is considered the same. If you live in Guromaaz, you are a citizen and must follow its rules. If you are visiting and do now share this free look on the world you’d best keep your opinions to yourself. Foes taken in battle are either executed on the spot, ransomed back to the country of origin, or let loose somewhere to fend for themselves. Unless these are goblins in the midst of one of the short but brutal wars Druglug and Guromaaz sometimes find themselves in, these captured soldiers are given the choice of either returning home, paying for citizenship as an indentured servant or the release of a blade. Its considered poor grace to slay a defeated foe out of hand unless they have already committed a grievance meriting the returned gesture.